


House of Wolves

by Varmint



Category: Naruto
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baby Kiba, Babysitting, But a Traitor at the Same Time, Family, Gen, Good Uchiha Itachi, Growing Up, Humor, Identity Issues, Identity confusion, Kiba Wants to be a Hatake, Kiba is Crazy in This, Kiba is Obsessed with Wolves, Kiba's Father is Actually a Hero, No Uchiha Massacre, Not Canon Compliant, Parent Hatake Kakashi, Reluctant Kakashi, Rookie Nine are Now a Wolf Pack, Running Away, Shisui Doesn't Die, Traditions, Tsume is Scary, Wild Child Kiba, Wolf Love, clan traditions, seriously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-22 10:46:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9604589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Varmint/pseuds/Varmint
Summary: It's Inuzuka tradition for an outsider to become the caretaker of the Clan Head's children during their formative years. Tsume chose a reluctant Kakashi to be Kiba's. And this is the story of how Kiba grew to be the only Inuzuka to ever use wolves for battle, much like a true Hatake. Canon divergence because yes. No Uchiha Massacre and Shisui lives! Also because yes.





	1. Chapter 1

"I don't want to-"

"You will."

"But, Tsume-"

"You know I'll just keep interrupting you. Every single time you try and tell me you won't be my newborn son's assigned caretaker, I'll tell you you're an idiot and worthy of getting your ass kicked by my husband when he finally decides to get his ass into this hospital room!"

Kakashi sighed softly at the woman's growl, then looked at the poor nurse, whom was just trying to fluff up her pillow. "I'm just trying to tell you to let-"

"I am _not_ going to let you off the hook, Hatake!" Tsume snarled, then turned her glare onto the young kunoichi that had done nothing wrong other than show up for her shift. "What do you _want_?! Can you not see we are trying to have a conversation, woman?!"

With a squeak and a promise to not return, the young ninja fled the room. This made Kakashi sigh and shake his head, even though Tsume only huffed and nodded to herself. "If she's going to be such a coward about it, I don't need her help with anything."

He really didn't know just what it was he was doing in this place. He didn't like hospitals and everyone knew that. But even though he hated hospitals, Tsume Inuzuka was a terrifying woman and she was more than aware of how truly scary was... And she wasn't afraid of using her terrifying ways to get what she wanted.

What she wanted now? For Kakashi to stick around for the birth of the newest member of the Inuzuka Clan. Why? He wasn't sure. Would he? Well, if he didn't, he would most probably be hunted down by the whole of the Inuzuka Clan for having left Tsume alone during childbirth.

He really didn't want to get hunted down now... He'd just gotten his hands on a brand new Icha Icha story...

"You're going to be Kiba's caretaker. Like it or not."

"But-"

"Kurenai was Hana's. Now you're going to be Kiba's. And if I have another child, Genma will be appointed as their caretaker." Tsume glared at the younger male before her, then grinned wolfishly. "Just think about it this way, dogs are descendants of wolves. It'll be good for you to have a cub trusting you."

Kakashi didn't find much comfort in those words.

* * *

Kiba wasn't a bad kid, if Kakashi could tell the truth. He just cried a lot. And screamed too much. And he'd almost killed himself when he'd somehow managed to get into his weapons supply and had begun to suck at some kunai.

But, really, he was a good kid.

Kakashi _forced_ himself to repeat this. Because if he didn't, he may just try and get assigned on a suicide mission to be liberated from the responsibilities forced upon him by Tsume Inuzuka.

"You brought the toys?"

The silver haired man glared at the woman's question, but sighed and offered up the stuffed wolf.

Tsume's smile always managed to worry him. Even though he was the Hatake, she was the one that looked the most like a wolf out of the both of them. And that was more than clear whenever she gave one her terrifying smiles that could make a little kid feel like they were about to be eaten.

"Good! Now we'll see which Kiba likes more!"

Tsume forced him into Kiba's room and towards the baby's crib. Then she snatched the wolf toy from him and placed it inside the crib, beside a dog stuffed toy.

Quite frankly, Kakashi didn't know just why it was that Tsume had asked him to bring a toy for Kiba. Nor why he was inside of the insane asylum known as the Inuzuka Clan's compound. But he knew that he couldn't brush a direct order from Tsume off. He'd already done it once before and had ended up having to babysit Hana and Kiba Inuzuka while their parents went off on a dinner date.

(Never again. _Never. Again_. He had learned his lesson. Never ignore an order from Tsume.)

The young, chubby cheeked, fang eyed boy looked up at the adults in front of his crib with a kind of innocence that could only belong to a newborn child. He was dressed in the shirt Ibiki had gifted Tsume a month or so ago, black and plain, and only diapers. But while he looked like a regular baby to him, Kakashi knew that woman would fawn over him for being 'adorable'.

(Even after a good three months of research, he still had not been able to find a solid explanation as to what was adorable about little humans that could only drool, poop, and cry.)

"Go ahead, Kiba. Pick your favorite."

Tsume's voice was unusually soft when she spoke to her child. Kakashi didn't know if that was good or bad. But he didn't really think too much about it either. He just looked on as the baby crawled towards the two toys placed in front of him.

First he looked at the dog. Then at the wolf. Then back at the dog. Then back at the wolf. And on and on it went until Kakashi felt like he was about to just force the kid to pick one.

Luckily, though, he didn't have to take any drastic actions. The kid picked up the dog and Tsume cheered.

He didn't know why, nor why he felt kind of bad for the wolf not having been chosen. But he was glad he could leave.

"Okay, Tsume, it was good to visit you and all, but," He began to turn away so he could leave the wild woman's home, only to end up choking when his shirt's collar was pulled back by Tsume.

"Wait a minute... Look..."

Kakashi groaned softly and turned back to face Kiba's crib. He just wanted to go back home! He didn't want to look at a drooly little- What was the kid doing?

Kiba had moved the dog so it was laying on the crib. Then he grabbed the wolf, smiled broadly, and began to howl and thrust the wolf onto the dog, apparently attacking it.

"How adorable... He likes wolves, Hatake."

"Yeah... Adorable..." Kakashi deadpanned as Kiba continued to howl, then looked at Tsume. "Can I leave now?"

* * *

"Take care of him."

"Daichi, I _can't_."

"Bullshit. The Hokage tells me you're on leave from all duties because you were an idiot and almost got killed on a mission with Genma and Raidou." The Inuzuka Clan Head's husband growled back at him, just as angry looking as his wife. "Now take care of Kiba before I shove my foot up your ass!"

The kid was thrusted into his chest once more. Kiba gurgled and reached for Kakashi, but the silver haired man frowned back at him.

"No."

"Listen to me, you foolish jackass!" The long haired Inuzuka cradled Kiba to his chest with one arm and grabbed Kakashi's shirt with the other, pulling him close to sneer directly into his face. "I need to go on a mission, Tsume is busy, and Hana's too young to take care of herself, much less her brother! She's with Kurenai, her caretaker! Now you, like Kurenai, will respect our Inuzuka traditions and take care of my son!"

With the final shouts, the Inuzuka forced Kiba into Kakashi's hands and left his apartment with angered stomping sounding after him. Which left Kakashi alone with a gurgling and overjoyed baby, even though he _really_ didn't want to take care of him.

Sighing at the fact that he constantly allowed himself to be abused and commanded by the Inuzuka couple, Kakashi entered his apartment and walked towards his couch, then placed Inuzuka down.

He was clutching his wolf toy happily and showed it to Kakashi with a broad smile.

"That's a nice wolf, don't you think?"

The baby squealed as he waved the wolf around, then grunted as he leaned towards Kakashi.

"No."

The baby leaned in once more, grunting as he opened and closed his left hand.

"I don't want to carry you, little human."

Apparently, little humans were dumb, aside from being a species that could only poop, drool, and squeal.

(What their appeal to females could possibly be, Kakashi still had not figured out. But he hoped that one day he would.)

"Ah! Ah! Up! Up!"

Kakashi leveled the kid with a disinterested glare that would normally make children understand he wanted nothing to do with them. This one, though, did not seem to understand the meaning of looks. He just continued asking to be carried. And when he didn't receive what he wanted, the little shit actually dared to begin to scream.

Even though he didn't want to carry the little human, Kakashi wanted him to scream much less. So he groaned dramatically, cursed the entire Inuzuka clan, then picked the kid up into his arms and began to bounce him softly.

He wasn't sure what that was supposed to do, but he'd seen mothers do that to their kids before... He guessed it was a subtle spell to bewitch the children and get them to calm down.

And he believed he was right to believe this once Kiba's screaming became happy blubbering once more.

* * *

One year old Kiba was annoying because he drooled, cried, squealed, and couldn't clean up after himself.

Two year old Kiba was annoying because he did all of that _plus_ destroyed just about anything he came into contact with that wasn't in the shape of a wolf.

"No! Kiba! Don't you-"

But it was too late. The mobile, deadly creature had run off and avoided being crushed by the book case he had somehow managed to climb before making it tumble down.

In retrospect, he should have listened to Genma's advice of bolting down his furniture to his walls when Kiba finally took his first steps.

"Run, Neko! Evil Kashi!"

Kakashi sighed as the blur made his way from his living room towards his bedroom, all the while screaming out what Kakashi lovingly called nonsensical gibberish.

No matter what Tsume might say, 'Kashi' was not his name. And until Kiba was able to say his complete name, he would not believe Kiba's first words to have been his name. Especially considering how the name had been followed by a rushed 'Hawake!"

This kid was horrible. Why was he stuck taking care of him? Why were the Inuzuka's such irresponsible parents? Damn traditions! he didn't like this!

Sighing in exasperation, Kakashi made his way towards his room. And there he found Kiba hiding behind his bed, clutching both of his dogs tightly as he pointed them at Kakashi.

"Inu! Neko! Pwotect me!"

The kid had a rather impressive talent for names, Kakashi had to admit.

The second wolf, Inu, had been his gift for Kiba's first birthday. Neko was the same one he had grabbed instead of a dog plush toy two years ago. And for his second birthday, Kakashi had gifted him a third wolf toy, although that one had lost its head and been thrown away after a brawl with his older sister.

"Kiba..." Kakashi looked at the two year old with a mix of dread and exasperation.

(He still had no idea what made little humans so adorable to women. If anything, he now doubted women's mental sanity for wanting to be around the dangerous species.)

"No! Ōkami!"

"You're not a wolf."

"I'm Ōkami!"

Kakashi glared at the small child, sighed once more, shook his head, and relented.

"Fine. _Ōkami._ " He stressed the name out to make sure the kid heard him, then asked, "Want some lunch?"

The brat didn't have any problem agreeing to that.

The little jerk.


	2. Chapter 2

There must be a reason why Tsume had forced him out of the Inuzuka Clan Compound with Kiba in his arms to go to the middle of the village. He had a piece of parchment with things written on it. Maybe she wanted him to buy some supplies for them. But why he needed to drag Kiba along was just overkill in his mind.

"Wamen!"

"No."

"Beef!"

"No."

"Wango!"

Kakashi eyed the tiny human in his arms curiously and asked, "Are you secretly a genius that knows how to read the signs of shops we're passing by?"

The little human looked back at him with wide eyes, cocked his head to the side, then looked away and spluttered out, "Canwy!"

He must be going insane. If he actually believe an Inuzuka like this could be a genius, then his sanity was finally leaving him and being replaced by insanity.

As he continued to walk down the village streets with Kiba shouting out random foods he wanted to eat all the while Kakashi denied him of it, Kakashi was suddenly hit by a pang of sadness and regret. By the ramen stand Kiba had noticed a few minutes ago sat a little blonde human with bright blue eyes and dirtied and tear stained cheeks.

The man that tended to the ramen stand, Teuchi, was fixing up a batch of ramen all the while his young daughter, Ayame, sat beside the blonde and fussed over his injuries.

Naruto...

"Kashi sad! Neko, Inu, what we do?"

Kakashi looked away from the blonde that was only a few months younger than Kiba and back towards his charge. And he found that the little human was looking up at him with narrowed and worried eyes.

"Why Kashi sad?"

It was at this moment that Kakashi was completely sure he was screwed. Unlike regular humans, the Inuzuka could smell extremely well. Which included the ability of smelling _emotions_. Which meant that, no matter what he did to seem as if he were fine, the tiny human in his arms would always notice his change in emotions. And he would, undoubtedly knowing the little creature, question him about it at all times.

Still, Kakashi sighed softly and shrugged, "Nun ya."

"Nun ya?" The boy parroted, which made Kakashi smirk all the while he hurried past the ramen stand with the little blonde boy.

"Nun ya beeswax, kid."

Inadvertently, Kakashi began something horrible that day.

* * *

"Nun ya beeswax!"

"Kiba Inuzuka, what did you just tell me!?"

Kakashi couldn't help the terrified look that came over his face as soon as he heard Kiba scream out in pure glee. Tsume had just asked Kiba what they had bought while outside the home. And Kiba had dared parrot Kakashi, _word for word_.

This was the end of the line. He had lived a good couple of years now... He had many regrets... But at least he'd finally be freed from the oppressive fist the Inuzuka held him under.

There truly was a silver lining to every storm cloud.

"Nun ya beeswax!" Kiba giggled animatedly as his mother stormed towards them both, unaware of the anger rolling off of the Inuzuka matriarch in waves.

Tsume glared at Kiba for one second before turning to Kakashi and frowning deeply.

"You're lucky he likes you."

The man couldn't help but be surprised at her uncharacteristically calm response.

"Uh... Are you feeling-"

"You're going to take care of him today. Daichi, Hana, and I are going on a small excursion. No arguments."

"Okay?" Kakashi finished his question, looked at the woman with a blank stare, then huffed and groaned. Of course she would be making him take care of the tiny human to make up for what he had done! He shouldn't be surprised by this at all.

"I don't mean to gripe or whine or anything-"

"Then don't."

Kakashi leveled her with an unamused stare, then continued as if he had never been interrupted. "You guys are _horrible parents_."

And for the second time that day, Kakashi was surprised by Tsume's next actions. Instead of bristling and arguing that she was an awesome mother, the woman just shrugged and smirked at him.

"Then it's a good thing I have you around to be the good parent."

(He now believed he thoroughly hated all Inuzuka Clan Members. They were all evil. Especially the Heads of the whole clan.)

* * *

It was midnight. Kiba refused to sleep, had refused to eat properly, and was still sitting on his high chair while Kakashi leveled him with a look that would make most quiver... But only seemed to make him happy.

"I wish for you to go to bed."

"Kashi!"

"I wish for you to not get food on my clothes."

"Loo, Kashi! Woof-woof!"

"I wish for you to speak like a normal human."

"Kashi! Find an Aooo! No want Woof-woofs! Ōkami want Aooos!"

This kid... He could call himself by a rather complicated name, but couldn't even call the animals by their regular names. He had to make the sound they created...

"I wish for you to understand that your name is Kiba, not Ōkami."

But even as he said the things he wished for, Kakashi had the distinct feeling that none of his wishes would ever come true.

"Kashi! No Woof-woofs! Want Aooos!"

In retrospect, Kakashi should have worried about Kiba's budding obsession with everything wolf-like. But at that point in time, he just wanted the kid to get some food into him before he went to bed... And, maybe, if he were lucky, to get the tiny monster into bed before the sun rose and dashed away the night sky.

Apparently, Kiba was a night owl.

Kakashi did _not_ like that.

* * *

Three year old Kiba was less of a blubbering mess than one year old or two year old him. But it was at this age that came the great and daunting task of potty training.

...

... ...

... ... ...

Kakashi, no matter how much Tsume would yell at him afterwards, made sure to get assigned onto the _longest and most complicated_ missions the Hokage could find. And the Hokage was merciful and allowed him to go, even though he never told Kakashi directly that he understood why he was so desperate to leave the village.

When Kakashi came back on Kiba's fourth birthday, the kid ran up to him (much bigger than what Kakashi remembered him being), showed the lack of diapers, and asked for his birthday gift. Tsume glared at him the whole time, silently steaming in her anger and disdain. But that soon left her when Kakashi pulled out an ornamental sword he had been given by one of the people he had protected over his year of missions, one that was decorated with gold, satin, and a wolf-like paw print on its hilt.

"Happy birthday, cub." Kakashi smiled down at the kid as he gasped in awe at the beautiful piece, then looked up at Tsume. "Hi, Tsume."

It may have been playing dirty, but Kakashi had a right to do so. He knew Tsume liked beautiful weapons to keep around the house. She had a dozen different weapons she could use for battle if the need ever arose. But her true love was collecting decorative pieces to fill her house up with. And for this to be Kiba's first decorative weapon must show her how much Kakashi really liked and knew the kid.

"This is so cool, Kashi! Let's go put it up over my bed in your apartment!"

Kakashi chuckled at the excitement in his voice but soon froze and looked down at the kid with wide eyes. "Wait-what? _My apartment_?"

Tsume barked out her rough laughter and walked up to pat him on the back, "Yeah! We did some renovations while you were gone!" She smirked at him as her sharp nails began to dig into his vest, "Kiba really did miss you. So now he has a room in your apartment so that he can sleep over whenever you _are_ around."

He should have known Tsume must have already gotten some form of revenge to have gotten so happy so quickly... But in his apartment? Would he ever be freed of the hyperactive child known as Kiba?!

* * *

"Neko! Inu! Let's get wamen!"

Even after a whole year, the kid still seemed to have problem pronouncing the 'r' sound. And sometimes he was able to make out the 'd' sound, but it wasn't consistent. And he still carried his two stuffed wolves around as his best friends, even though Tsume had tried already to get him to separate from them.

(Tiny humans, apparently, were a species that grew up to be regular humans. Although, from the way the kid was going, Kakashi highly doubted that Kiba would ever become normal enough to be considered a regular human.)

(He still wasn't sure what women found endearing about this species. Years of observing and he still had no plausible or logical explanations.)

"No, Kiba. We're going to the training grounds like your mother asked us to go."

"Don't wanna!"

"You're going."

"Never!"

And then the kid was dashing off, trying to escape from Kakashi.

The man sighed at his escape attempt, followed after him, then scooped him up into his arms and cradled the four year old against his chest.

"We're _going_."

The kid glared up at him in such a cold way that Kakashi faltered for a second before continuing.

... Kiba's glare... It was so much like _his_. It was cold and uncaring. Nothing like his mother's passionate one.

He was screwed... Tsume would kill him as soon as she saw this! She had never liked his aloof ways. And for them to have rubbed off on Kiba- this would be the end of Kakashi Hatake!

(Later on he found out he freaked out for absolutely no reason. Kiba had been glaring like this since he was _two_ , apparently. He just never had a reason to glare at Kashi, so the man never actually saw it.)

(Tsume found it more than hilarious that Kiba glared so much like him. It made him look 'cute', she said.)

(Kakashi was now resigned to the fact that he would never understand women.)

* * *

"And who's this little fella? What's your name, kid?"

After about a year's worth of the kid begging to be taken to the ramen stand, Kakashi finally relented. And the owner was more than kind about his newest customer, especially because he was an Inuzuka and they weren't all that known for enjoying ramen as much as other, more meaty, foods.

"Name's Kiba." The kid smiled broadly up at the man, then turned to Kakashi and tugged at his sleeve. "I want food, Kashi."

Kakashi looked down at him, nearing exasperation. He had told the kid that this would be the place they would eat their food. But Kiba, for some reason, could not understand that if he _wanted the food, then he needed to order the food_.

"I've got an extra meaty ramen bowl, if you'd like, Kiba." The man behind the counter informed the young boy, which immediately made his eyes light up and his head begin to nod wildly.

Anything with meat, an Inuzuka would eat.

"Yes, please!"

At least he had manners, Kakashi relented. With a nod to himself, Kakashi ordered his own plate and leaned his elbow against the counter.

"Sure thing! A regular for Kakashi and an extra meaty bowl for the young Inuzuka!"

He'd be getting food. And Kiba would undoubtedly eat the whole bowl. So he wouldn't have to be dealing with a grumpy and hungry Inuzuka anymore. And, if he got lucky, the kid would feel sleepy after all the food.

"Inuzuka?"

Opening his eye to look down at the question from the kid, Kakashi looked at him quizzically. And the boy looked back at him with just as much confusion before asking, "Aren't I a Hatake?"

(Once more, Kakashi began to freak out about Tsume's anger. But this time, he had a reason to. Inuzuka were proud of their heritage. For once to renounce their name meant ultimate insult.)

(Kakashi spent a whole week trying to convince Kiba that he was an Inuzuka and not a Hatake. And he only got this response in return, "I want to use wolves in battle. Inuzuka don't. So I don't wanna be Inuzuka. I'm Kiba Hatake.")

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all very much for all of the love! And keep it coming! It makes me feel all warm inside.


	3. Chapter 3

At a solid three feet tall, Kiba was a danger to both himself and those around him.

"You wanna fight me?! I'll whoop your ass!"

Kakashi wasn't sure why the kid was even so angry. All that Guy had done was ask him if they could have a competition.

"Uh... Rival, it seems your child wishes to fight with me..." Guy looked over at him in confusion, body reading of how confused he was. "I am not sure if that is advisable."

He leveled the taller man with an unimpressed glare, then looked down at Kiba. "You can't fight Guy. He'd crush you."

"He wouldn't!" The Inuzuka puffed out his chest, then jabbed his thumb into his chest. "I'm a Hatake! And we Hatake never lose!"

"But... I thought he was an Inuzuka..."

Kakashi sighed and shook his head, "He's _not_ my son, Guy. He's Tsume's kid. And no, he's not a Hatake either. Don't listen to him."

"Bad Kashi! I'm a Hatake and there's nothing you can do about it!" Then Kiba turned to the large man, "And you're not taking him away! He's _my Kashi_!"

(This kid was going to be the death of him. Four years old and picking fights with people two or three times his height.)

(Him insisting on being called a Hatake didn't help at all.)

* * *

"Run, Inu! Neko! Don't let them get us!"

He should have tried this _months_ ago.

"Bull, Bisuke, you go right! Akino, Urushi, you go left! Shiba and Guruko will keep the perimeter safe!" Pakkun barked out his orders, all the while Kakashi laid back and watched his dogs chase after the hyperactive Kiba.

Kiba was rather good at avoiding getting caught by the dogs. Unbelievably so. But Kakashi figured that this was because the Inuzuka clan used dogs at all times. And they most probably used them at some point to try and catch him.

When Kiba had first met his pack, he had been insulted at him not using wolves like he'd apparently been told by his parents. He had wanted to see wolves with terrifying fangs and threatening dispositions. But after he'd spent some time with the pack, he'd come to accept the fact that Kakashi wasn't exactly a typical Hatake. Even though he still wanted to use wolves in battle for some reason.

"You need to bathe, kid!" Akino growled as he tried to bite at the kid's leg, only for Kiba to get away. "Your stink is starting to hurt _all our noses_!"

"Never! If Kashi never got me, neither will you!"

He hadn't bathed in about a week. Even though the little monster had only been with him for two days, he'd somehow managed to get out of bathing for that whole time. The Inuzuka Clan had been rather busy lately preparing for some festival or another they celebrated, which meant that the kid had been left forgotten. And because she was preoccupied with getting everything ready, Tsume had decided to dump Kiba off on him so he could finally bathe him.

"Kakashi, are you telling me you really allowed the kid to slip through your fingers?" Pakkun questioned in anger, turning his glare to him before growling as Kiba jumped over him.

"Eh... I tried but I'm too tired to really give a shit anymore." Kakashi shrugged, then clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "I thought you guys would really care, though... So... Get to capturing."

The dogs were able to catch Kiba. And it was pretty interesting to see Kiba struggle to get out of a bath while his whole pack of ninken held him down.

* * *

"You need to use wolves!"

"Are you insulting my pack?"

"I'm insulting your lack of manliness!"

Five years old, with a broader vocabulary than most because of Akino and his love for books, and still as obsessed with wolves as when he was three years old.

"You're also insulting us, kid." Akino grumbled as he walked up to Kiba with a bag of presents in his mouth. "But happy birthday, you little jerk."

"You know I love you jerks!" Kiba growled back at the dog, "I gave you all bones for your _separate_ birthdays, even though Kashi forgot!"

All of the dogs turned to look at Kakashi at the reminder of having been forgotten by their true owner. The man simply looked down at them, shrugged, and threw Kiba his newest birthday gift. A pack of training shuriken so the kid could begin on his ninja training.

"Seriously?! Pakkun, look at this! Kashi got my shuriken!"

"What?! Kakashi, I thought we talked about this! The kid's a danger to himself _and_ us! He almost cut off Bull's tail a couple a weeks ago!"

Normally, Kakashi would have listened to the most talkative of his dogs. But Tsume had instructed him about what weapons to buy the kid and even asked for it. His ninja training would begin in a week or so and he needed to be prepared.

"He won't use those unless he's throwing them at a static figure, Pakkun. _I promise_."

Pakkun glared at him in complete anger and disbelief. And not even an hour later, Kakashi ended up having to eat his words when he found Kiba on top of the table that held his birthday cake, the practice shuriken being thrown at his sister and the few friends she had invited for his birthday.

(Kiba didn't have many friends his own age because he had yet to get into the Academy. But he usually got along pretty well with his sister's friend... Until his fifth birthday, that is.)

* * *

A few months after Kiba's birthday, the kid was an expert at using the practice shuriken Kakashi had gifted him. He could throw them with unbelievable precision and never missed any target he aimed for.

This, of course, wound up with him getting in trouble with his sister and family whenever he decided to throw at them. But Tsume was proud that Kiba seemed to be intelligent enough to use the weapon so well and barely ever scolded him over hitting his sister and instead scolded her for getting hit. His father laughed at the kid's antics most of the times, although he _had_ gotten mad that one time Kiba had smacked him on the nose while he'd been reading the morning newspaper.

The little human was smart. There was no way Kakashi could deny it. And he was kind of happy to find out that he would be proven wrong about the kid's probable intelligence level. Maybe he _would_ grow up to-

"Ow! Kashi, the mean jerk in the door hit me! Kill him!"

Kakashi sighed and shook his head softly in disappointment at the kid's shouts, then looked over to find Kiba holding his forehead.

"Kiba, that door is a _pull_ door. Not push."

"Kill him for me, Kashi!"

He may understand a few literary classics and poems because of Akino and Pakkun... But the kid was dumber than a brick.

* * *

One day, Tsume decided to dump Kiba on him. On that same day, Itachi passed by to ask for some pointers for his newest mission and brought his young brother, Sasuke, along with him.

Itachi was a kid that Kakashi enjoyed helping out every now and then. He was respectful and understood the shinobi chain of command. He barely ever caused any trouble and his brother was just as respectful. The Uchiha boys were Kiba's complete antithesis.

(In retrospect, Kakashi should never have allowed them to meet.)

"Thank you very much, Kakashi-san. I was worried for tomorrow's mission." Itachi thanked him after Kakashi had explained the mission and all of its intricacies, standing up from his kitchen table.

Kakashi waved the kid's gratitude off and was about to answer when he was suddenly cut off by the squealing shouts of Kiba and Sasuke as they ran into the room on the backs of Bull and Urushi.

"Faster, Bull! We gotta beat the stupid Uchiha!" Kiba shouted down at the large dog, who barked and began to run even faster, ignorant to the furniture he was knocking over.

"We can't let him beat us, Urushi!"

"Sasuke!"

"Faster!"

Sasuke had once been a good kid... Respectful and kind like his brother... Kiba ruined that by befriending him.

(Kakashi had hoped that would be the only little human Kiba would end up corrupting.)

(He had known to be wrong before...)

(He had just never been _so wrong_.)

* * *

"My name is Kiba Hatake Inuzuka. I am the second son of Tsume Inuzuka and a proud member of the Inuzuka Clan. My sister is Hana Inuzuka and my father Daichi Inuzuka. But Kakashi Hatake is more of my father-"

"Kiba... Your name is not Hatake and I am _not_ your father."

The six year old, Academy student to be huffed as he leveled Kakashi with a disinterested glare. "You should be happy I'm not calling myself Ōkami anymore."

"You can't bring that up anymore, kid. It was _two years ago._ "

"Fine." Kiba smirked, canines glinting dangerously in the light. "My name's Ōkami Hatake. Wolves are awesome and I will honor my Hatake heritage-"

"Kid, I'm begging you here... Your mother will _kill_ _me_ if you announce yourself as a Hatake. Do you want me to die, Kiba? Is that what you want?"

The kid thought about his answer for a few seconds, then murmured, "Just _how painful_ would the death be?"

Kakashi sighed and dropped his head onto the table in front of him, deeming this to be completely hopeless.

The Academy had decided that all of the new students would introduce themselves to the whole Academy during the orientation ceremonies. Which meant that this was the perfect time for Kiba to prove his Inuzuka lineage... A chance the little mongrel seemed intent to _mess up_ to the best of his abilities.

* * *

One day, Kakashi walked back to his apartment with a brand new copy of Icha Icha in his hands and a clear idea of what he wanted to do with the rest of his afternoon. But when he got there, he found it overrun with hyperactive, tiny humans that got his whole apartment dirty and screamed in the most high pitched voices he had ever heard in his life.

(It was when Kakashi met Kiba's friends that he found out that, maybe, _just maybe_ , Kiba was _not_ the worst little human to have been stuck taking care of.)

"Kiba! What is the meaning of this?"

"It was all Pakkun!"

The Inuzuka pointed at the little dog. And Pakkun froze in the middle of the card game he had been playing with two boys- one an Akimichi and the other a Nara. "I just thought the kid should have some time with his friends! He needs to make friends with kids that aren't dogs or insane like the Uchiha!"

"Pakkun... I love you..."

"Ah, damn, kid! I love ya too!" Pakkun jumped towards Sasuke to try and fix the damage he had wrought, all the while Kakashi shook his head and glared down at all the tiny humans that had invaded his home.

"You're in big trouble, kid."

"Never! Quick, Ino, like I told ya!" Kiba shouted from the dinner table, then Kakashi found a Yamanaka girl appearing out of nowhere to kick him on the shins. _Hard_.

"That's his weak spot!" Kiba informed the little girl, then called out, "Time to go to Sasuke's house! Retreat, Wolf Pack! Retreat!"

If this had happened on any other day, Kakashi would have most probably chased after the little humans to grab Kiba and give him a good punishment. But seeing how they were clambering out of his home and leaving him to his own devices... He decided to allow this one time to slide.

(Further down the line, Kakashi found out he _really_ shouldn't have let that one time slide. But he figured it out much too late.)


	4. Chapter 4

Kiba's friends apparently liked being around Kakashi. Even though Kakashi wanted nothing more than to be far away from them and never have to look at another child in the face.

Dirty little mongrels...

"Kashi, why aren't you a teacher to genin teams?"

"Because I don't want to, Kiba." Kakashi sighed as he closed his eye and leaned back on his couch, trying to ignore the loud giggling from the girls in the corner.

How Kiba had managed to befriend _girls_ was truly beyond him. The boys were understandable. At that age, boys usually got on pretty well with boys, no matter how different their personalities. Usually because they all liked mud, destruction, and getting in trouble. But the fact that there were _three girls_ squealing about something or another in the corner of his home was something that he still could not wrap his head around.

"Well you should. That way, when I graduate, you may be able to be my teacher."

The thought caused Kakashi to freeze involuntarily.

Kiba as a genin.

He'd never thought about it before.

Kiba Inuzuka as a fully fledged shinobi, fighting alongside the rest of his comrades to keep Konoha safe... It was quite the image.

"Never going to happen." He made out after a moment of thinking, then looked away from the hyperactive Inuzuka to glance over the children that had overrun his apartment. "And I hate you all."

But his words were ignored. Which was what usually happened.

* * *

Seven years old and still as dangerous to himself as when he was two, three, four, five, and six years of age.

Seriously, Kakashi was starting to think that there was something wrong with the youngest of Tsume's kid. It was as if he were insane and slightly suicidal without even knowing it. And he still tried to pick fights with people that were much bigger than him.

Like right now... When he was trying to kick Sasuke's old brother in the shins... All because he'd told Sasuke that he shouldn't be running around without any shoes on because he could end up hurting his feet.

With a heavy sigh, Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose and did his best to ignore the building pressure in his head.

"Kiba, please do not bite-"

It was too late.

He had kicked Itachi and then bit his hand.

And Itachi, like the good kid he was, did nothing against the boy other than pull him away.

* * *

They liked to be called a Wolf Pack. Kakashi wasn't sure why. But the nine little humans that were Kiba and his friends seemed to be just as obsessed with wolves as the tiny Inuzuka. They loved wolves. And, apparently, all believed that Kiba could totally use wolves in battle when he was older.

"Wolf Pack, attack formation!"

Kakashi sighed when he heard Kiba and Sasuke shout out in unison, but just sat back to watch the show.

Quite frankly, he couldn't be bothered to try and stop this. Not at _this moment_. The Academy Teachers had been mean to Naruto and Kiba and taken their toys away. And they had insulted the Kyuubi container. And Kiba and his friends were having none of it.

... At least that Iruka kid had enough decency to treat the blonde like a regular human and not some monster. That was the only reason why he wasn't part of the teachers getting pelted by water balloons filled with all kinds of nasty liquids.

It was kind of fascinating, if he could tell the truth, to see a bunch of seven year olds working together so well. They had yet to be taught any teamwork by the Academy, if he remembered correctly. They were still learning how to read, write, and do math. They were supposed to begin learning the important ninja things the following year.

But here the kids were, working as if they truly were a pack. Even that apathetic Nara kid was in on the action and helped the Akimichi by giving him water balloons whenever he ran out.

And the little Hyuga girl was running support along with Kiba, being the two fastest of the group. They were making sure that all of the kids had enough supplies to use. And if any of the teachers strayed away from the circle of ninja wire they had made to keep them inside, one of the two would push them back in to make sure they would skip out on the punishment.

The Sakura girl was with Sasuke and Naruto up on the roof of the alleyway they had decided to stage this attack in, filling up any balloons that had not been filled up before. And once she was glad with the amount, she began chucking down on the teachers.

"Don't mess with our pack!"

Once more, the silver haired ninja sighed... Well... At least they worked well together...

* * *

He'd been called away on a very important mission for a good five months. Nothing too dangerous, a courier mission. But it was long term and had not allowed him to share correspondence with anybody in the Hidden Leaf.

At least the shaky alliance with Sand was beginning to seem just a tiny bit more stable.

When he returned to his village after months of continuous sand and sun, all the last of the Hatake Clan wanted to do was get to his apartment, collapse on his bed, and sleep for more than a week.

But what he got was anything but.

"Kakashi, where's my son?!"

He'd been questioned before he even got to the village gates. Tsume had her hands clutching his vest tightly, an almost wild look in her eyes as she sniffed frantically at the air.

"Kiba?" He murmured curiously, confused. "What do you mean, Tsume? I was over in Sand this whole time. Didn't you know?"

"In Sand?!" She shouted, eyes widening in terror, "Hatake, he told me you were taking him on a training trip! He said you'd be gone for a long time! And that he'd be coming back when you would!"

"What?!" Kakashi shouted back, "Tsume, I've been on a long courier mission in Sand! I didn't take Kiba with me!"

"Then where's my son?! Did he run away?!"

Kiba had run away. Using _him_ as a good diversion.

When he found the little shit again, he'd be getting all the punishments Kakashi had been too lazy to give to him before.

* * *

Kiba returned a week after Kakashi had come back. Just when he, Tsume, Hana, and Itachi had been prepared to leave the village to chase after him, the young Inuzuka came back.

 _On the back of a large wolf_.

If Kakashi hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it... Then again, he kind of refused to believe it even though he had been at the village gates right when two wolves strutted up with narrowed eyes and a bundle of _something_ on each of their backs.

One was pure white and reminded him for a moment of his father's favorite summons. It had a scar over its right eye and looked like the alpha. And the other was a charcoal gray with a motley of scars all along its body.

It had been the dark one to carry Kiba up. The pure white wolf had carried a bundle of clothes and food.

"Kashi! Ma! Hana! 'Tachi!"

When Kiba's head had popped up from the back of the large, dark wolf, all four humans had been left stunned and frozen. And Kiba, in a rather ignorant and purely _Kiba_ manner, waved at them with a large grin.

"Told you I'd find my wolves, 'Tachi! Now go find Sasuke so he can meet Inu and Neko!"

Inu... Neko... Hadn't those been the names of Kiba's favorite toys back when he was still a kid?

"Kiba!"

It seemed that after Kiba had said this, Tsume had regained sense of her body. And she ran fast towards the boy, most probably moving to grab him and begin to throttle the little human. But halfway there, the white wolf intercepted her with a vicious growl as it bared its teeth.

"Stay away from my pup!"

... ... ... The wolf had just spoken.

Oh hell no.

"I'm out."

And Kakashi disappeared with a hasty shunshin, refusing to further continue with these insane interactions with the Inuzuka family. His sanity was already fractured. And they were continuous detrimental forces to it. So he was out.

..~..~..

I know it's short. And I'm sorry about that. But I wanted to give you guys something to read after having left this story out in the cold for so long. Hopefully I'll be able to update once more later on in the week.

Please be awesome and review!


	5. Chapter 5

Their names were Inu and Neko. Much like Kiba had named his old wolf toys when he'd received them. Kakashi highly doubted that a pair of wolves would be named such stupid things, but they insisted that the names given to them by the pup were their correct names.

Inu was the white female that had initially threatened Tsume when she'd felt that Kiba may have been in danger. Neko was her mate and was the more talkative of the two. And together they were now, apparently, Kiba's surrogate parents. Wherever Kiba went, two large and furry shadows followed after him to make sure he wasn't harmed.

Not a day passed in which Kiba didn't show off his new wolf pack.

All of the kids were amazed with the wolven friends the kid had made. Especially because nobody had believed the Inuzuka when he'd said that he'd find wolves that would follow him into battle. Like Kakashi, everyone had assumed that he'd eventually grow out of his wolf loving phase and get a canine companion, like the rest of his Clan.

Kiba had proven them all wrong.

Kakashi still refused to be part of any of this insanity, though. He wanted to stay far from the wolves and Kiba. Even though it didn't hurt to see the wolves, he didn't really like their company. The female, Inu, reminded him _a lot_ of his father's favorite summons. And it wasn't particularly pleasing to remember his father whenever he saw her.

But Kiba had decided that his favorite man would be watching over him and the wolves as they trained, for only a true Hatake knew exactly how to train with wolven companions.

Sometimes, he _really_ hated Tsume having chosen him to be Kiba's caretaker.

"Kashi! Let's go! I want to teach Neko how to throw kunai!"

"Once again, pup, that is not possible." The dark wolf pattered up to Kakashi's side with seeming ease, more than content to be around him.

Apparently, Kiba had told the two wolves about his lineage's love for wolves. So they believed him to both be an exemplary caretaker and a wonderful companion to have around.

"You should be finishing your homework rather than thinking about training." Inu scolded as she walked up to Kakashi's other side, growling at the young Inuzuka.

Kiba, who was more than comfortable hanging off of Kakashi's shoulders, whined at her subtle scolding. "I'll finish it later! I promise!"

"If you don't, it'll be a week of no seeing Kashi."

"But Inu-"

"No buts, pup. Now come up with things that us as wolves can actually practice."

(At least Inu was a no non-sense type of wolf that always put Kiba in his place.)

* * *

"Please, Inu-san, Neko-san. I must go on my mission."

Kakashi didn't completely understand what Itachi and Sasuke were doing at the door step into his home. Nor did he understand why Neko was leading them from the front while Inu pushed them from the back.

"You are not going on that mission, pup." Inu growled as she pushed her snout into the back of Itachi's thigh, "It is much too dangerous and smells of death. I will not lose a pup over dumb orders."

"But that is a crime. My orders were-"

"Faulty. Someone's sending you to slaughter, kid." Neko interrupted with much less severity than Inu, then nodded his head over at Kakashi. "Hey, Hatake."

The Hatake currently stood in the threshold between his kitchen and main room, shirtless and with hair wilder than normal. He'd just woken up and had begun to make his way to his kitchen so he could make himself some food. He offered a small wave then looked over both Uchiha siblings with an eyebrow quirked in confusion.

Because of an odd feeling that had overcome him, he'd put on his mask before he'd left his room. And he was grateful he'd listened to his paranoia.

"We refuse to let you go on that mission. We protect our pack." Inu gave one final push to the teen's leg to ensure that he was inside of the house, then turned around, bit the doorknob, and closed the door. "Hatake, we are now hiding these two pups from all of Konoha. If asked, you have not seen them."

"Cool! No school!" Sasuke smiled broadly at this and made Itachi groan softly.

Then the oldest of the brothers turned to him with wide and pleading eyes. "Please, Kakashi-san. I need to leave on my mission."

"Is it top secret?"

"Yes."

"Who assigned it?"

Frowning at the question, Itachi crossed his arms over his chest. "You know I cannot tell you that."

"Danzō Shimura." Neko growled, making Itachi send a sharp glare over at him. Then Inu stepped forward and looked at Kakashi with resentment deep inside of her golden eyes. "He is not going on that mission. I refuse to let the pup become further manipulated by that weasel."

Inu and Neko had taken _one_ whiff of Danzō, just one, and immediately decided he was untrustworthy. And when they found out that Itachi worked directly under him sometimes, they had refused to allow him to continue to work. It caused many problems with all of the higher ups that needed Itachi in the field, but Kakashi didn't really try to stop them. Why would he try when he himself hated Danzō?

"Well... It seems that you've been kidnapped, Itachi. And you, along with Sasuke and I, are being held against your will by two dangerous wolves." Kakashi shrugged, then padded into his kitchen. "Would you two like some breakfast?"

* * *

Inu and Neko, distrustful of the snake named Danzō, took turns to protect Itachi. When Inu was with Kiba, trailing him to school and making sure he behaved, Neko was shadowing Itachi. And when Neko was having fun with Kiba and his friends, Inu would follow Itachi out in the open, always sticking near him to show that she would not leave him.

Itachi had unwittingly become part of their pack and just wanted things to go back to normal. But the wolves refused to let him go and kept him near at all times. Just like they kept Kiba near at all times. And Sasuke, now that Kakashi thought about it... And they also stuck around a lot near most of Kiba's friends... And he'd seen them with Hana... And him too...

"Oh my God..." Kakashi gasped at the sudden realization that smacked him in the face, "They think we're all their pups."

Asuma grunted in confusion as he turned to look at the suddenly talkative Hatake, "What are you going on about?"

Kakashi turned to him with a widened eye, "Inu and Neko, Kiba's wolves... They adopted us."

The older man stared at him for a good ten seconds before he shook his head and frowned. "Are you really talking about this? We have to stay quiet unless we want to be found, idiot."

"Hey! Don't insult Kakashi."

Upon suddenly hearing the deep, gravelly tone that couldn't possibly belong to a human, Kakashi wanted to smack himself. And when he turned around and away from the bush he had been using for cover as he and Asuma spied on the group of mercenaries they had been sent to deal with, he found none other than Neko walking up to them.

"Neko, what are you doing here?" The Hatake breathed out in annoyance, "Shouldn't you be in Konoha with the rest?"

"Not at all." The wolf seemed to smile, although it was rather terrifying because of all the teeth he was showing. "Inu and I worked out a system to keep watch of all the kids."

"I'm not some-"

"Nonsense, pup. Now who's this?" He turned his gaze onto Asuma, dark eyes suddenly beginning to shine. "Another pup?"

"Holy shit, hell no." Asuma shook his head quickly, "I'll go and help Genma with the traps."

"Ooh, there's another one?"

* * *

When Kakashi returned to the village with Neko, Asuma, Genma, and Ibiki, it was to find terrified chatter among civilians. There weren't any shinobi to be found except for the two guards by Village Gates that tried to keep some kind of order over the masses.

Neko's ears shot up and he seemed to frown at what he heard, then he looked over at the four human males and motioned for them to follow him. "We've got to get to the Uchiha District."

On a normal occasion, Kakashi would have denied him and just gone home. But seeing how Neko was so serious and the air around Konoha was so heavy, he decided to leave questions for later. And because he followed without asking anything, so did the other three men.

When they reached the Uchiha side of the village, it was to find dozens of Uchiha in shackles, eyes covered with thick cloth. Others were being screened by shinobi and members of ANBU, and a few were helping corral the children of the clan into the large meeting hall held in the middle of their home. On the outside of the large Uchiha District, they found Kiba, Sasuke, all of their little friends, and Hana and Itachi. Some were staring wide eyed, while a few of the kids were near tears.

"Pups!" Neko shouted as he ran up to them, sniffing over all of them before he stopped in front of Sasuke and Kiba. "Where is Inu?"

Kiba, with tears in his eyes, pointed into the Uchiha home. And Sasuke, with his own eyes wide and scared, said, "She went to protect Shisui!"

"What the hell is going on right now?" Genma questioned softly, but Kakashi only shook his head as he stepped up to the kids and placed a comforting hand on Kiba's head.

The kid looked up at him in surprise, but soon calmed down and threw himself into the Hatake's arms. "She's fighting a monster!"

"A monster?!" Neko shouted, then ran off. "Hatake, stay with the pups! That is an order!"

Kakashi had no idea what was going on. And normally, he would defy a _wolf's_ orders within a heartbeat. But Kiba was shaking in his arms, Itachi looked like he was just barely able to stand, and Sasuke clearly needed someone to comfort him.

"Don't worry, kid. Inu'll be fine."

"She better be, Kashi!"

* * *

Danzō Shimura had been one of the driving forces within the Uchiha movement to revolt. He'd wanted them slaughtered to make sure that Konoha was never harmed by the dangerous clan. His plans had been ruined, though, because of a few key elements no one had foreseen.

The first, Itachi and Shisui's loyalty to the village had been strong enough to keep them from buying into the propaganda they were fed.

The second, Shisui was much more skilled than many thought and had managed to fight Danzō off until help arrived.

And the third and most unpredictable one: Inu and Neko.

No one, not in a million years, would have ever thought that two wolves that were aligned with the Inuzuka Clan would ever become so unbelievably attached to some of the younger members of the clan. And there was no way that anyone would have been able to predict Inu being able to sniff out Danzō's plans with the help from Shisui.

The she-wolf arrived to help the teenager at just the right time. If she had been late by just a few seconds, Shisui would not be alive.

And if not for Neko rushing up to save them, neither of them would be alive.

Currently, Kakashi found both Itachi, Shisui, and Sasuke staying with him as meetings were held by the leaders of Konoha to be able to decide just what would happen with the Uchiha Clan.

A good number of them had been supporters of the revolution and had been incarcerated. Their father was one of them. But others had just gone along with the loud dissidents to not face repercussions from their own family. Their mother had been dealt that card.

The only reason why Itachi and Shisui were with him now and not locked up was because of Inu and Neko's loud cries of their innocence and unwillingness to take part of the rebellion.

Kiba was more than happy with this turn of events because he was able to stay with Sasuke and have some fun. Even though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes like it should, seeing how injured but of his guardian wolves had wound up because of the intense fighting.

(Kakashi knew it was a miracle they hadn't wound up killed while facing off against Danzō. And secretly, he thanked Shisui for not having allowed them to die during the fighting.)

"Once more, Kakashi-san, I have to thank you. And you, Kiba-kun-"

"Ah, put a sock in it, jabber jaws." Kiba smirked at the stunned silence that followed from Itachi, then looked over at Shisui.

The teenager was mostly immobilized, stuck in a wheel chair until all of his injuries were healed. But that didn't stop him from trying to go and visit Inu and Neko whenever the Inuzuka invited him.

"Say, Inu's getting antsy. Wanna go see her to make her happy?"

The short haired male smiled softly at the little human, then looked over at Kakashi, "Would it be alright if we left the apartment once more?"

Technically, all three Uchiha were under house arrest with Kakashi acting as their warden. In reality, they were just mooching off of his home and kindness.

"Eh... Why not?" The Hatake shrugged, "Kiba'll scream about until I let you go."

"Damn right, Kashi." The Inuzuka huffed, then grabbed Sasuke's hand, "We'll round up the Wolf Pack and meet you guys there!"

With this both boys ran off, Sasuke turning around for a second to wave at them before the door closed behind them.

Breathing out a heavy sigh, Kakashi walked over to Shisui to grab him to carry him down the stairs, all the while Itachi patiently waited by the side so he could grab the wheelchair and carry it down.

"Good thing they're still happy." He murmured to himself as he walked over to his window, jumping down.

Even though he didn't mind carrying the Uchiha, he wasn't about to lug him down four flights of stairs when there was a perfectly good and much faster route to take.

"I'm just happy they're able to smile again... I thought Sasuke would never be able to smile again after his mother was taken."

When they landed on the ground, Kakashi grunted softly at the impact. And when Itachi landed beside them and opened the wheel chair, he placed Shisui down on it and began to walk in the direction of the Inuzuka Compound.

"Mikoto'll be fine." He murmured softly. "Just like everything will fix itself up."

The Uchiha Clan was now divided and weak. But the Third Hokage was a kind man. He wouldn't leave them out to hang like someone else might have.

Kakashi was sure of it.


	6. Chapter 6

"No, cub, listen to me, you cannot eat this."

"Why? I'm starving, Neko!"

"Because it is plastic."

The eight year old boy frowned at the wolf's words, but soon scoffed and shook his head. Then, when both Neko and Inu had turned their heads away from him and towards the other children, the wild Inuzuka tried to bite into the toy food once more.

With a huff and a roll of his eyes, Kakashi swooped down to grab the toy. Once he had that in hand, he bonked the boy on the head with it, then straightened up once more. Kiba frowned up at him with a harsh glare, a glare that looked too much like Kakashi's own for comfort, and tried to grab at the toy food.

"I'm hungry, Kashi!" He bleated out, which made the gray haired man shake his head softly.

"I am aware of that, tiny human." Kakashi murmured, then looked up from the child to see their destination.

On the horizon, after the long lines of shops that could be found on either of their sides, was the eatery that Sasuke had asked to spend his birthday in. A cake shop... Maybe he should have given Kiba some actual food before dragging him off to this birthday party...

"We're almost there, pup." Inu grumbled as she held her head high, even with the permanent limp she now sported.

Danzō had been an opponent that had gotten the best of both her and Shisui before Neko had arrived to finally put an end to him. Both the she-wolf and the teenager had been able to harm the snake and give him a fight he had not expected. But he had been too strong for just them. And Inu's right leg had been shattered during the fighting, only healed through intense medical jutsu and rehabilitation therapy.

Hana was now learning from the woman that had healed Inu. And from what Kakashi heard, she was doing quite a good job in her veterinarian and medical education.

"I'm hungry too, Kiba! But you don't see me complaining about it, now do you?" The little blonde ball of energy known as Naruto Uzumaki shouted from the front of the group, causing little Hinata to flinch slightly and trip over her own feet.

Naruto... He was still a bit of a sore subject. He looked a lot like Kakashi's deceased teacher. And it hurt to look at him sometimes. But the kid was treated well by just about everyone in the village now, seeing how he had two large wolves that called him 'pup'.

"That's only because you already screamed about being hungry before, Naruto..." The lazy Nara of the group, Shikamaru, breathed out as he walked with his hands jammed into his pockets, a perpetual frown of irritation on his face.

"And then Chouji gave you some chips." His Yamanaka best friend finished with a huff, then turned towards the mentioned Akimichi, "You're too nice!"

"What?! Chouji's got chips?!" Kiba suddenly jumped away from Kakashi to pounce on the plump boy, legs wrapping around his midsection to begin to claw at the pockets within his jacket. "I want some food!"

"Kiba! Hey! No! I've got no chips! I ate them all!"

"Liar! Akimichi's always got food!"

"Naruto ate them all!"

"Kiba, get off of Chouji!"

Ino tried to jump into the fray to pry Kiba off of her friend... Only to wind up jumping on top of Kiba in her attempts. Which made Chouji topple over, seeing how he wasn't prepared to carry so much weight.

As this happened, the rest of the kids' friends began to circle them, shouting at either Chouji or Kiba with opposing views. Some just wanted Chouji to hand over the chips because Kiba would continue being annoying if he didn't. Others wanted Kiba to stop being an idiot because they were so close they could _taste_ the birthday cake.

Kakashi just stood back, watching with a disinterested gaze as the kids fought. And a after a few seconds, Inu and Neko walked up to him and sat down on either side of his body.

"My money's on Chouji. He's got muscle. And that Yamanaka's fiery." Neko muttered, which made Inu grunt in distaste.

She most probably didn't enjoy watching her pups fight. But she would, most probably, just want them to get this fight over with so they could lose most of their fighting spirits before they arrived at the birthday party.

Kakashi watched for a few seconds as Chouji, Ino, and Kiba rolled around on the floor. The two best friends were giving Kiba a run for his money. But the Inuzuka was clawing his way out of the fighting, unleashing harsh punches and kicks to counter the fact that he was only one.

It hurt Kakashi to admit... But this kid would make a good ninja.

"I'll put mine on Kiba."

* * *

None of the parents had been amused when Kakashi, Inu, and Neko arrived at Sasuke's birthday party with three scratched up children. Especially because _all_ of the kids with them were starving and just wanted some food, which had made them run amok and forgo any kind of propriety at the party.

Sasuke had not minded, though, and had just laughed at Kiba's retelling of why he had come in with orange dust all over his face and fingers while Chouji pouted and Ino shouted at her friend.

(Chouji had tried to hide a stash of chips. Kiba had found it. Chouji's parents had not found this funny. Kiba's father wound up rolling on the floor in laughter while Tsume smirked at her son.)

Mikoto had taken everything in stride, though, and had helped feed all of the hungry children with as much grace as possible. A feat that Kakashi had to admire, seeing how she had just been released from her incarceration two weeks ago. She was under probation and under the threat of being locked up once more if anybody found her doing anything that would make them think she would try to help the Uchiha build a rebellion once more. But she now had Itachi, Sasuke, and Shisui all living under the same roof with her and she couldn't care at all about Clan rebellions. All she wanted was to see her children grow into strong and able shinobi.

Kakashi wasn't usually the kind of guy that enjoyed parties. He preferred to be alone and not have to deal with people. But he had been forced into going to the party by Tsume. And then he'd been forced to interact with people because of Neko. Honestly speaking though, this had _not_ been the worst party he'd ever attended.

And it had ended at a rather reasonable hour, so he'd been able to return to his apartment to get some shut eye before he received his newest mission on the next morning.

Being a reasonable hour, though, had meant that he'd wound up brining back most of the Wolf Pack with him. But they had been mostly tuckered out by the time they had reached his apartment, so Kakashi had been able to set them to bed, bathe, and relax in the confines of his own apartment for a few minutes before he fell asleep as well.

He'd wound up sleeping on the couch with a clingy Kiba tucked into his side because his bed had been taken by Inu, Neko, Hinata, and Sakura. But his back didn't bother him too much the next day. So he wasn't about to complain... Too much.

(He'd never admit it, but he didn't actually mind all of this.)

* * *

After the failed Uchiha rebellion, Kakashi had expected life to go back to normality. The big attack had already passed. And there was no need for Konoha to worry in times of peace.

He had been wrong.

By the time the Academy started up again after Kiba's eighth birthday, Kakashi found himself facing quite the complication in his life. And he was forced to keep quiet about it.

"I have to leave." Daichi wasn't usually the kind of guy to sound as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He enjoyed to look at the bright side of life and deal with any negativity by either ignoring it or forcing it to leave him. But now... Now he sounded like a condemned man. "And Kiba can't know the truth."

"Daichi-"

"I want you to make sure he grows up into the Inuzuka I know he can be... Into the Hatake _you_ know he can be."

Kakashi was left stunned by the words, but wasn't allowed to say anything before the scarred man continued.

Daichi, like Kakashi, wore his forehead protector over his right eye. But it wasn't because of a hidden power, like Obito's Sharingan. Instead it was because he had lost his right eye two years ago during a harsh battle as he'd tried his best to complete a mission.

"This group cannot be allowed to grow. And I've got to enter it so we can formulate the best plan to cut the head off the snake before it sprouts any more."

The Hatake wasn't completely sure as to what group the older male was speaking about. But it must be quite the growing threat for the Hokage to send off one of his most competent tracking agents.

"You've got kids, Daichi. Clan responsibilities. You can't possibly tell me you think these guys will believe that you abandoned Konoha just to join them."

The Inuzuka were the most loyal of Konoha's Clans. They weren't the kind to abandon their homes. Not even under times of extreme duress, like any of the wars. While some Clans had dwindled and struggled during the last War, the Inuzuka had grown stronger and in numbers.

To send a member of this Clan to do undercover work was like asking for him to get killed. The tattoos on his face were like stickers that read 'double agent' to anyone that knew the truth about the Inuzuka.

"Hatake, I know what I'm doing." Daichi breathed out as he looked away from the younger male and over to the refrigerator in his kitchen.

Plastered all around it were pictures of Kiba's friends, the boy himself, the friends Kakashi had been forced to make, and others. Many of Kiba's artistic exploits were there as well... One which had him dressed in what he said would be his warrior's armor, two large wolves colored in on either side of him. It was a crude drawing, which could only be expected of a six year old... But it was filled with ambitions for a bright future.

"I shouldn't be telling you this... But I trust you, Kakashi. I trust you because you are a great man- a great man that can help my son became a great warrior." Daichi now looked back at Kakashi, dark eye heavy with emotion. "Make sure he becomes the warrior we both know he can be."

For a few seconds, neither male said anything. Kakashi just frowned and looked back at the Inuzuka, struggling with his inner emotions.

Kiba would not react well to his father suddenly leaving. Especially if Daichi chose to create a great spectacle to capture his target's attention... This kid would be broken by his father leaving.

But this was Daichi's mission. And here the man was telling him the truth to make sure that, if only one thing happened, then it _happened_.

"... I'll try my best..."

A genuine, although still heavy, smile formed on the man's scarred lips. And his dark eye sparkled for a few seconds.

This was the image Kakashi wanted to remember of Daichi. Not the one he had seen throughout this whole conversation.

"That's all I ask for, Hatake."

* * *

Kiba had refused to believe that his father had stolen the Forbidden Scroll from Konoha. He refused to believe that he had then killed the shinobi that had tried to stop him. And he refused to believe that his father had escaped Konoha after having only been able to take one jutsu from the scroll before it had been retrieved.

Kakashi knew better. He knew that Daichi had done all of this. But he also knew _why_ this had happened. Although he couldn't tell the kid.

The shinobi that had been killed in action had most probably been men and women that the Hokage knew had done something against the village. Because even though they wanted what was best for Konoha and tried to do so by sending Daichi off into slaughter, Lord Third would never send in an innocent shinobi to get killed just to keep appearances up.

From the new names that had been etched into the Memorial Stone, Kakashi couldn't say he remembered any faces. The new names sounded like normal, run of the mill shinobi. Although one was somewhat odd- Kabuto. Not a normal name.

"Kiba-"

"No! Shut up! Pa's coming back! He wouldn't leave me!" Kiba's screams were teary and passionate.

"Please, son! I'm grieving too!"

Kakashi's heart tightened upon hearing Tsume's pained voice... He wasn't sure if Daichi had been sparring enough to tell her the truth about his mission. A piece of him wanted this to be true so he wouldn't have to deal with a betrayed Tsume. But part of him told him that Daichi knew better than to tell more than one person the truth of his mission.

"Shut up! He's coming back! This is a big lie! He'd never betray the village! He's an Inuzuka! And we _don't_ hurt our home!"

Kiba was throwing a tantrum. His room looked as if a hurricane had cut through it, only to then be visited by a thunderstorm. Kakashi wasn't completely sure just how the kid had managed to fill the room up with a couple of inches of water. But this was Kiba Inuzuka... A kid so capable that Kakashi had stopped asking questions.

"Kiba."

The kid's anger seemed to forget itself when he heard Kakashi's sharp word. And when he turned to the Hatake, eyes wide and confused, the man couldn't help but feel his heart squeeze even tighter.

"C'mere."

The boy hesitated for a few seconds before Kakashi motioned for him with his hand, which then made him act. And he walked up to the man, eyes wide as they looked into his visible eye.

Once he was close enough, Kakashi crouched down and pulled him into a tight hug.

He wasn't exactly sure just what he was doing... But he guessed that he must have done the right thing when Kiba's body relaxed within his hold. Then he raised his hand to smooth over the disheveled strands of Kiba's hair, for he knew that Kiba enjoyed having his hair touched.

"It's okay to cry."

So Kiba cried.

..~..~..

Don't forget to review!


	7. Chapter 7

If it hadn't been for the care of those around him, Kakashi was sure Kiba would have wound up as an insufferable ninja that would have amounted to chunin, probably tokujo Jounin if he really applied himself, and a great headache for whichever Hokage he wound up working under.

Luckily, though, Kiba had an amazing group of people that cared about him that refused to let him lose himself in his grief. His Clan kept him on his toes whenever he went home and instilled into him how respect and loyalty was a mutual thing that was only earned through proving oneself, while at the same time showing to him to true power of counting on those that would help him no matter what.

(Kakashi guessed that the Clan Elders wanted Kiba to grow up loyal and respectful. Not because of his status as tentative Clan Heir, no, they had Hana in case this kid somehow became too crass. But instead because of the example his father had set. Once that they didn't want him to follow.)

At the same time, his friends kept him sane and happy by playing with him whenever they got the chance, much like they had done for Sasuke after the Uchiha Rebellion. It wasn't difficult to find the Wolf Pack running around the streets of Konoha with a loud wolven companion in their midst, all the while one or two shadows kept them company from afar.

And, finally, Kakashi made sure to be there for the kid at all times.

Daichi had asked something of him. Even though the man wasn't really someone Kakashi could call a _friend_ , he was someone that Kakashi truly valued. Even more so now that he'd given up so much to be able to protect their village. So he'd be damned if he didn't try his best to make sure Kiba became the fearsome warrior the kid swore he could become.

Because he trained Kiba, Kakashi found himself sometimes training the rest of his friends. Sometimes Itachi and Shisui would join in to learn the basics of simple techniques they'd skipped over or just watch the Legendary Copy Cat Nin in action. At other times, Hana would also sit in on the lessons, offering her own for those that wishes to learn medical ninjutsu. And a few times (which were more than what Kakashi cared to admit), Inu and Neko would teach all of their pups about their ways of life and fighting styles.

At one point, these children wound up learning so much about ninja arts that their teacher, a young Chunin that wasn't any older than Genma, walked up to Kakashi to ask him to _please_ tone it down.

Apparently, the Wolf Pack was acing all of their tests and causing quite a ruckus in the schoolyard. And even though it might have seem counterproductive, it was not right for them to use hidden kunai and shuriken against fellow classmates in practice spars to have an upper hand, they were all still children.

For the life of Kakashi, he could not understand why the teacher thought it wasn't a good idea to teach these budding ninja about how unfair real life was from an early stage. But he wound up having to speak to the Hokage to slow down his lessons, and he promised he would after the aged man threatened to send him on unsavory missions if he continued.

Still, even without advanced training, Kiba was able to grow into quite the ninja by the time he became a genin. A troublesome one, of course, because all Inuzuka were inherently mischievous. But a skilled one at that. And he had more than enough time in the world to become stronger.

* * *

"You've never taken on a genin squad."

"... Well... None of the ones assigned to me have ever been capable."

The Third Hokage's dark eyes bore intensely into Kakashi's own half lidded eye.

This was a song and dance that had been repeated so many times between them that Kakashi was not completely sure why the man continued to throw underprepared genin at him. But if there was a truth about Konoha shinobi that could not be denied, it was that they were all stubborn as all hell. So, if all in the Land of Fire were stubborn, it was only right for the leader of such people was the most stubborn of them all.

For a few seconds, neither male said a thing. Then the elder leaned back in his chair, took a puff of his pipe, and closed his eyes.

"It is your Wolf Pack's turn to graduate this year, isn't it?" The man murmured, only to miss the narrowing of Kakashi's eye because he kept his own closed. "Only a few months now, if I'm correct."

Kakashi... Did _not_ want to be a Jounin teacher. He didn't want the responsibility that came with taking care of those that couldn't truly take care of themselves. And he didn't want to grow attached to anybody that would get killed. He already had more than enough people he (unwittingly) cared about. There was no need for more in his life.

"Young Kiba once confided in me his wish to be able to tame wolves." The Hokage continued to speak as if Kakashi were not in the room, as if he were talking to merely himself. "This was many years ago, before he ever appeared in the village with those two protectors of his... Back then, I believed he would be capable of great things, for I saw a fire burning within his eyes that I had not seen in a long time. And I still believe that, if he truly pushes himself, he'll be able to accomplish many great feats in his life."

Kakashi _knew_ where this conversation was going. And he was completely against it.

"As the last remaining member of the Hatake Clan, you are the only person alive with the secrets to taming wolves to be able to use in battle. Because of this, I wish for you to take on a team with Kiba."

The Hokage opened his eyes after he'd said this and looked at Kakashi, face smooth and devoid of any emotions for the Hatake to read.

Kakashi kept his mouth shut for a few seconds as he pondered on the best way to call the Hokage an idiot and _not_ get arrested for slander. But he soon landed upon the conclusion that he couldn't just insult his way out of this situation and resolved to try and explain why he didn't want to take care of Kiba for the rest of his life.

(He'd already seen him go from tiny human to slightly small human, just like the rest of his friends. He'd been forced to deal with the Inuzuka Clan for years now. And he'd only gotten word from Tsume about how, come Kiba's thirteenth birthday, he wouldn't be forced to stick around the boy just last night. He _needed_ his freedom.)

(Or, well, that's what he _thought_.)

"Lord Third-"

"I know you are not the kind to continue with a team that does not work together, Kakashi." The Hokage interrupted quickly, "And I can respect that. But it is time you got over your fear of caring for others. And it is time Kiba begins to understand how truly difficult it will be to tame a wolf."

"What if he fails the bell test?"

It was grasping at straws, both Kakashi and the Hokage knew it. But Kakashi _really_ didn't want to be stuck with three snot nosed genin until they were chunin, and it didn't matter if one of them was Kiba.

"I'll allow you to pick the other two members of the team."

* * *

It was a lose-lose situation no matter what he did. Kakashi knew that. So he wound up making the best of the situation and picking the two other kids of the Wolf Pack that had always annoyed him the least.

In retrospect, it may not have been a completely wise choice to saddle the hyperactive and fiery Kiba with the soft spoken Hinata and barely talkative Shino. In retrospect, Kiba may just have been a better fit with a team of people that were just as hyperactive and eager for battle as him, like Naruto or Sasuke. But retrospect didn't matter. Kakashi wanted an easy team to train. And he had the best excuse to justify his choice of team to any that dared question him: tracking skills.

In all honesty, he hadn't even noticed the newly dubbed Team 8's tracking uses until Itachi had commended him on his wise choice in a team for tracking and hunting.

He'd played it cool and told Itachi that he _knew_ he was amazing like that. But, in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but be amazed by how lucky he'd gotten that Shino was an Aburame and Hinata was a Hyuga, or else he'd be called out on his bullshit.

Unfortunately, because they'd known each other for years, these three's teamwork was pretty good. Especially with the little ankle-biter that had been gifted to Kiba a couple of years back, Akamaru. The little shit had been the one to take the bells from Kakashi while the three humans had helped keep him distracted.

It was weird to not be training Naruto. When he'd heard about the Fourth Hokage's child entering the Academy, he had thought he would have to prepare himself to eventually have to train the kid. Lord Third knew better than anyone else about Kakashi's loyalty for his old teacher. And, because of this, Kakashi had expected to have the kid thrown at him, no matter how ill prepared he was for him.

But he wasn't. And, in a way, he was relieved.

He could tolerate Naruto. He enjoyed seeing him smile when he was with the rest of his friends. But he couldn't bring himself to try and become an important part of his life. He'd already lost his chance years ago when he'd refused to adopt the baby.

Besides, now he had Kiba, Hinata, and Shino to take care of. And Naruto had all of his friends, along with his friends different families, _and_ Inu and Neko.

The wolves had _not_ been happy when they'd heard how the kids would be separated for their training. And they'd forced the respective teachers to meet with them so they could approve or reject the people that would now take care of their pups for the majority of the time, seeing how they would not be able to follow after all of them.

They'd approved of Kurenai quickly, seeing how they knew the woman because of Hana and the Inuzuka Clan. She was seen as an asset to the Pack and was allowed to teach Team 7, for Sakura and Sasuke both held promise in genjutsu.

Asuma... Had _not_ been approved for Team 10. Not because the wolves didn't like him, they _loved_ Asuma. He'd proved himself in battle with them countless times before and they held him at just about the same spot as they held Kurenai. But they didn't like him as a teacher for the newest generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho team up. So they'd asked for a different teacher.

The Hokage had _not_ been amused with the wolves demand. And he'd put his foot down; Asuma _would_ be teaching Team 10.

It had been pretty amusing to see a heavily pregnant Inu arguing with the Hokage while Neko sat beside the rest of the Jounin in the room. Especially because Asuma had been shaking his head throughout most of the encounter, completely unamused with everything that was happening.

Eventually the Hokage had managed to convince Inu to allow Asuma a trial run with the team and, if she thought he wasn't right for them, they could talk something out.

This happened after Inu threatened to cause some serious damage to Konoha's buildings because of the Hokage's incompetence, of course. Something that Kakashi still found pretty hilarious.

It was fun to see these wolves messing with other people's lives rather than his own.

* * *

The first few days of training had been easy enough. Kakashi had made the kid run drills they'd done a dozen times before, but added more difficult bits each time they started up. Aside from that, he taught them one or two things about being ninja like how there should always be a team member that knew how to cook if they didn't want to risk dying from food poisoning, or how there should always be someone that knew how to stay awake no matter how tired they were unless they never wanted to wake up ever again.

Those were days Kakashi had truly enjoyed. They had been nice and easy... Lazy, too. And he hadn't really been scolded by any of the kids for his tardiness because they all knew of his eccentric ways.

But then they began to get missions assigned to them. And that had meant having to run after Team 8 to make sure everything ran smoothly. Which had meant _moving_. Which had meant Kakashi's little peaceful bubble had been burst yet again.

At one point, they received a mission from the Inuzuka Clan that had left them all kind of stumped. The report had just asked them to go into the Clan's Meeting Hall to pick up a their mission. But... It was weird. There hadn't been any other instructions except for that. To just go to one place, which was where there mission would begin.

As soon as they'd crossed the threshold into the room, Kakashi had been hit with a scent he knew all too well and immediately he'd wanted to run away.

Once more, if one where to look at retrospect, they would see that Kakashi should have seen this coming. But he hadn't ever thought about this situation too much because he'd refused to do so, content to believe that he'd washed his hands of this specific problem with Kiba becoming a genin.

"Pups."

Inu stood proud by the end of the large hall, the Konoha symbol on the headband wrapped around her neck shining proudly. Neko was beside her, sat with what could only be described as a wolfish grin on his lips.

In front of them, there was a large blanket. On top of it, there was a litter of pups. Not newborn, they looked as if they'd been alive for a couple of weeks now. Big enough to be separated from their mother.

"It is time for you to take on your own companions."

The large wolf spoke not to the humans, but to the wolves before her. And, as if under some unheard spell, the animals surged forward and towards the humans, sniffing at the air.

Kakashi knew what was happening. He understood. Even though none of the kids with him did, he _did_. And... He _may_ have panicked a little bit. But he didn't show it. Nope. He kept his speeding heart and arrhythmic breathing to himself.

Well, he did for some time. Until a white cub with gray spots along its body walked up to him, sniffed at his toes, bit one, and looked up to him.

It was when he looked into the mismatched brown and blue eyes that looked back at him that Kakashi shunshined the hell away from his team and the wolves.

Second time around the wolves made him disappear from the world for a few days.

..~..~..

Don't forget to review! I do love hearing what you've got to say!


	8. Chapter 8

Kakashi wasn't able to avoid the responsibility that the wolves wanted to drop into his lap. His team had made sure that he wasn't able to run away from it, the little traitors.

He'd run away from the wolf pup that had walked up to him after Inu and Neko had decided to give their human pups companions. Well, really, it was the other way around. The wolf pups would be getting _their_ companions; humans were supposed to be partners wolves took on only if there was a connection between them.

Undoubtedly, the cub with the mismatched eyes had felt some connection to him. Kakashi hadn't, though, so he refused to deal with him.

(This was a blatant lie, but Kakashi refused to take care of a wolf. He already had his _pack_! He couldn't take on a wolf pup just because Inu and Neko wanted to force one on him.)

Kiba, Hinata, and Shino were dirty traitors that he wanted nothing to do with anymore. They had dared bring him the wolf, even though he had let them know on a dozen different occasions that he wanted _nothing_ to do with him. And then, when he told them to take the pup away, they had dared run away from _him_!

(Medium sized humans were, apparently, as hostile and evil as tiny humans. The only thing Kakashi actually understood about them was that they were just as bad as tiny humans.)

(His only real comfort about this, though, was that women weren't as enamored with medium sized humans as they were with tiny humans.)

So now he found himself with a nameless pup that followed him around and bit at his heels constantly.

"Get away."

A good natured growl.

"I don't want you to be near me."

Now he received a somewhat insulted growl.

"Why don't you go back to your mother?"

As he walked into his home after a whole day of repeating this very conversation on a dozen different occasions, the cub with the mismatched eyes made a point of following him.

When he got to his room, the only place he thought to be his safe haven away from all the insanity brought upon by medium sized humans, full sized wolves, and now tiny wolves, Kakashi's hope shattered. Kiba and Pakkun were sitting side by side on the bed, looking over one of Akino's many books.

"I think his name should be Musashi- you know, like that one great samurai." He heard Kiba whisper, only to have the small dog huff and shake his head slightly.

"You know how many Musashi's Akino knows? It's a popular name among our world, kid. No, no, I think his name should be something powerful."

"Powerful? Like what?"

"Like Hone burēkā!"

"What are you two doing in my room?"

Kiba jumped up with a broad smile, hands going to his hips while a large smile spread across his face. "We're finding a name for Shishi and Kohitsuji's brother. Right, girls?"

The female cubs that had walked up to Kiba while Kakashi had experienced a small mental break down jumped up from beneath Kakashi's bed ("What were they doing there?"- "Doesn't matter, Kashi.") and gave all of the humans inside of the room twin grins.

Blinking at the pure white wolves, Kakashi sighed, shook his head, and turned around.

Not even his home was safe.

* * *

The wolf wound up being called Sakumo.

Kakashi wanted to _strangle everybody that had anything to do with naming the pup._

Just how Kiba had found out about his father's name, the man wasn't sure. But he vowed to give whoever had told him a slow and painful death.

He didn't hate his father. Not anymore. But his name still brought back painful memories. Memories that he would rather allow to remain buried; not brought back to him like a freaking zombie simply because his brats insisted that they wanted to know more about him.

"Change it."

"We can't do that, pup. Once one of our kind chooses a name, it stays."

"So you two willingly chose to be named inu and neko without any kind of fight? Do you really think I'll believe that?" Kakashi hissed without a single qualm about seeming too angered or mean over what was happening.

Inu looked back at him with one unimpressed eye, then glanced over at her son. "You want to be Sakumo?"

The multicolored eye pup nodded. Inu looked up at Kakashi and shrugged as much as she could. "He chose his name, Hatake."

Neko, who had been busy playing with Shishi and Kohitsuji as their human continued running the laps around Konoha Kakashi had imparted on them, now ran up to him with a bright smile on his snout. How wolves were able to smile was beyond Kakashi. But that was a smile.

"Come on, Sakumo! Your sisters want you to play with us!"

The pup jumped away from Inu and Kakashi without a single hesitation, more than eager to play around with the wolves that had adopted his students. Because, as Inu had explained, the humans didn't choose the wolves. Which was why Shino was left without one, he already had enough protection in his hive.

Just how that logic worked out, Kakashi didn't even want to think of. Through that very thought process, Kiba shouldn't have a wolf. He, technically, already had Akamaru, Inu, and Neko watching over him. But _two_ wolves had picked him, the females with mostly white bodies. They both looked like spitting images of Inu, just without as many war scars or the eye patch.

"Sakumo found the name for himself. You should not be punishing the pups for something he found out himself."

Kakashi turned away from the large white wolf with a narrowed eye. He didn't believe that tale. He _knew_ Kiba had wound up being an important part as to how the pup wound up with his father's name. And he was more than sure that Hinata and Shino both had aided him in finding out about this.

It wasn't right.

Kakashi heard a faint sigh from behind him, "If it truly does bother you to have a cub named after your deceased father, Hatake, I will talk to him. But if you wish for him to change his name, you have to aid him."

"I don't even _want_ him, Inu."

The female wolf walked up to him and sat down in front of him, her one eye glaring sternly at him. "You know the bond a cub forms with his human. He already loves you; he'll protect you until his very end. A sentiment I hope you will reciprocate."

He _hated_ the fact that he was made to feel like a child being scolded by her. And the worst part was that he actually felt _bad_ about how disappointed Inu sounded.

With a huff and a cross of his arms, the man relented, "I'll look for a name…"

* * *

"That's not an appropriate name."

Kakashi could not believe that _Kiba_ was telling him this.

"Says the boy that named his first two wolves dog and cat. And the next two lion and lamb." Kakashi deadpanned as his (reluctantly) named pup ran around with all three of Kiba's animals.

Hinata looked at him through completely confused eyes, all the while Shino remained as emotionless as only an Aburame could be.

"Yeah, but those names all make sense! And they come in pairs, so the names are perfect!" Kiba defended himself, "Kashi, that name isn't cool enough for him! Why couldn't he keep Sakumo?"

With a glare at Kiba, Kakashi growled out, "Because that, to me, is like someone forcing you to name your dog Daichi."

It was harsh, Kakashi was aware. But one sometimes needed to rely on shock therapy with Kiba to make him understand. He was a hard headed little brat; but that shouldn't really surprise him, he was _Tsume's_ son. And he was pretty oblivious to some of the finer human interactions. So forcing him to understand the emotional baggage that came with naming an animal after a no longer present father through this manner may seem a bit crude, but it was the only way Kakashi knew-

Those wolves had tricked him.

Suppressing the groan that wanted to leave him, Kakashi forced himself to remain stony faced and look as if he had not just figured out the wolves plan.

The pup had never wanted to be called Sakumo. Until now, no matter how stupid the names given were, all of Inu and Neko's litter had accepted whatever it was that their humans had decided to call them.

Naming the wolf was a sign of partnership between the human and wolf. The pup didn't have the power to name himself…

Inu must have instructed him to want to be called Sakumo. He didn't know how the she-wolf had found out his father's name, but she must have done so to shock Kakashi into naming the little animal.

"Alright. Geeze. Ouch." Kiba reeled back, much too focused on the emotional pain he must have been feeling to even notice Kakashi's sudden epiphany.

Hinata patted him on the shoulder softly, all the while Shino shifted just slightly closer to him. It wasn't much, but his teammates were giving him physical comfort in the only way they knew.

Kind of cute, coming from two of the most emotionally stunted members of Kiba's Wolf Pack.

He'd been outsmarted by Inu. He couldn't believe he'd allowed himself into being outsmarted by her.

"Still… Ōkami isn't that much of a creative name, Kashi." Kiba muttered after a couple of seconds of reeling back. "It's like you didn't even try."

"Oh, I did try." Kakashi replied snarkily, "And I even played around with variations of his name. And I even thought about calling him Inu, but you already named a wolf that. So I decided that Ōkami was the best option."

"Naming a wolf... Ōkami…" Shino suddenly commented, sounding much too disappointed for Kakashi's ears, "This is our teacher… Our Jounin Sensei; the Copy Cat Ninja, one of the most skillful and well renowned shinobi of his generation… The kind of man that names an animal by its species."

With a soft shrug, Kakashi leaned back and threw himself down onto the grass behind him. "You're stuck with me until you _at least_ pass your Chunin Exams, Aburame." He informed the disappointed male. "Now, chop-chop, children. Time for you to get back to your training so you can prepare for that one C-Ranked mission the Hokage wants to assign you to."

"A C-Ranked?"

Closing his eye as Kiba jumped up from his spot sitting on the floor in front of him, Kakashi pulled his arms back so they were cushioning the back of his head. Then he allowed the three genin that composed his team to run around and do whatever they wanted as long as they left him alone and looked _marginally_ competent in whatever ninja skill they were practicing.

Of course a mentioning of a mission that was more than just chasing after cats around Konoha would bring Kiba out of the slump he'd fallen into at the mention of his father.

… Thinking about Daichi… Where would the man be now? Would his infiltration of that one criminal organization have been successful? Would his mission be well under way?

Kakashi didn't want to think about the possibility of his mission having been unsuccessful.

* * *

The mission wasn't as exciting as Kiba had thought it would be. Which was a good thing because, now that he thought about it, he had no idea if any of the wolf cubs with them had gone through a single ounce of training in case of an attack.

He knew how the Hatake wolves had worked. And those wolves had been trained from their very birth to be able to defend themselves.

But Inu and Neko, along with their litter, were rather different to Hatake wolves. So he guessed that they weren't the kind to force their pups to learn as soon as they were born.

Anyway, they'd gone to the Village of Sand as part of an escort to ensure the safety of a man that had been injured as he'd brought classified documents to Konoha. He had been an intense kind of jounin who took his job much too seriously. But he'd had a soft spot for the wolf cubs, so he hadn't been too persistent in his annoying Kakashi as he could have been.

Baki of the Sands was not someone Kakashi would have thought he'd ever be helping escort. But he wasn't as strict as some of the reports on him had said, so that had been a small yet completely pleasant surprise. _And_ he'd been able to give Kakashi some advice on how to help all three of his students in the specific fields they needed the most help within, seeing how he'd learned from his own group of genin how to deal with foolhardy, medium sized humans.

When they returned to Konoha, Kakashi would start using all of the tips given to him by Baki to finally beat some respect into Kiba. Shino and Hinata were good... But they needed to regain some of the respect and fear they had once had for him.

Oh... Those had been the good old days... Back when Kiba's little Wolf Pack revered him like an amazing soul rather than someone they could try and push over.

(Kakashi was wrong to believe this. They had never actually revered him. Kiba was the only one to have ever seen him as a great teacher to learn from. The rest only saw him as cannon fodder.)

For now, though, Kakashi just had to tolerate his genin team's annoying happiness as they interacted with the injured Baki's own genin team.

The kid with the red hair was pretty creepy... But Hinata was slowly getting through his cracks.

The tattoo on his forehead was pretty weird... He'd have to ask Baki about that later on.

For now, though, he'd just focus on ignoring the annoying Ōkami trying to get his attention and allow his little team to run amok and enjoy their few days within a new Village they had never visited before.

..~..~..

I have finally updated this story! I'm so proud of myself.

Please remember to review and tell me what you thought of this chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all liked this! Please tell me what you think about this with reviews! Reviews are good for my soul!


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